


Apocalypse Now

by FalconHorus



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 04:39:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/706657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalconHorus/pseuds/FalconHorus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Earth fails and tries to take Atlantis down in its fall, the expedition has to rely on each other to survive and not lose more people than they already have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Angelqueen04](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Angelqueen04).



> Written for the SGRarepairings ficathon on LiveJournal. 
> 
> Prompt:  
> Pairing: John Sheppard/Kate Heightmeyer  
> Three Things You Want To See: apocalypse, smut, the deaths of other characters both SGA and SG-1.  
> Three Things You Do NOT Want To See: any mention of other characters being Sheppard and/or Kate's dead lover(s), the destruction of Atlantis itself.
> 
> Beta by Triciabyrne1978
> 
> This story deals with loss, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and sacrificing one life in order to save another. If either of these things makes you uncomfortable I suggest you turn back now. If not, then by all means don't complain to me I didn't warn you.

The days were shortening. He knew it meant winter wasn’t that far off now. He feared the day the temperature would go down and the first snow would fall. At the moment, however, he watched the sun set in the distance, leaving an eerie glow on the horizon. A cool breeze ruffled the leaves behind him and he sighed. The chill in the air sent shivers down his back. It reminded him too much of the first days on the main land, the first days after the attack. The days in which he had tried to keep the group of survivors together, console the people he loved and mourn the ones they had lost. The days he wanted to forget as soon as possible. If only he could ever forget.

As minutes passed the sky grew darker, stars flickering in the night like little fireflies. It reminded him of home. It brought a memory back of him as a little boy running into the back yard watching the stars. His father would tell tales about them, none of which were true, of course, but at the time he hadn’t known any better and he believed every single word.

Another memory of not so long ago took its place and he smiled at the thought of her pointing up at the night sky on their favorite balcony in the city. He had found she had an extensive knowledge on the zodiac signs, their myths and legends, and the tales of old. She had confided in him that it was her secret hobby. He had smirked but nodded anyway. He still wasn’t sure what had drawn him towards her. He had been having a few sessions with her, since those were obligatory and he didn’t fancy not being found fit for duty. For someone who was supposed to be closed and guarded, he had found her open. She always kept her face neutral and yet he could tell by the look in her eyes how she felt about a certain situation. He always thought he was the only one who had a hard time sharing his feelings with anyone, feeling awkward most of the time, but after he had gathered all his courage and had asked her out on a date one morning, he had discovered she could be even worse in the feelings-department. A fine couple they would make.

~~~~~

“ _Dr. Heightmeyer...” He started as he found her in the hallway, about to step inside her quarters. She turned and politely smiled at him, her eyes shining. He ignored the flutter in the pit of his stomach as he carefully took a few steps forward. “I was wondering if...” He held up his hand as he started. “If maybe...” She kept looking at him expectantly, yet not fully realizing what he was getting at. “You would care to join me for dinner on the south pier tomorrow evening?” She blinked once, twice before she turned back to her door._

“ _I would like that.” She looked back at him, composed though her eyes betrayed an anticipation he had rarely ever seen before._

~~~~~

The memory faded with the last light of day. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning back to the encampment where he found some of the survivors huddled around the main camp-fire. Others were spread across the clearing and their temporary village. It wasn’t anything more than a few tents, which could house several people each. The Athosians had helped them set them up, for which he was ever grateful. He knew they wanted to do more but there wasn’t much else they could do. The members of the expedition weren’t accustomed to spending entire days camping outside. And the circumstances under which they had been forced to the main land hadn’t exactly been pleasant either, adding an extra layer of discomfort.

He turned to the main fire, watching the people around it picking at a plate filled with what he thought was probably something remotely resembling pork. He knew there was an animal on the main land, resembling an Earth pig, but it sure didn’t taste that way. The only way it did taste good was with layers and layers of ketchup, which they didn’t have any longer. There were a few of his closest friends sitting together, discussing something -- which as it turned out seemed rather funny as one of them started laughing out loud, almost choking on a piece of meat. He took a step in the direction of the fire, though stopped as he noticed Jinto sitting near the fire holding out a stick and at the end three white marshmallows. He briefly wondered who had been able to hold onto his stock of sweets for so long, until he noticed Jennifer Keller holding out another stick with three more sticky marshmallows, an empty bag scattered to the side. People would probably be jealous of her if they knew what she was doing, if they were still capable of being jealous.

He involuntarily touched his lips where he had burned himself only a few weeks ago, at an attempt of tasting whether he had burned his sweets or not. He lowered his hand again, remembering the sweet kisses Kate had given him, soothing his pain and teasing him to the point of no return.

~~~~~

_He turned the stick around and around, making sure the marshmallows didn’t burn to a crisp. Dinner on the main land had been his surprise for her birthday. He had swept her out of her office and straight towards a jumper. He had been planning all week, making sure it would be perfect. She was leaning against him, her head resting against his shoulder, just the way he liked it._

“ _Don’t burn them.” She giggled as she tried to pull the stick back, but he wouldn’t let her as he swatted her hand away._

“ _You really don’t trust my cooking, do you?” She shook her head and waited patiently as he pulled the stick back and tasted the sugary goodness, burning his lips in the process. “Shit.” He hissed._

“ _I told you, you were burning them.”She pushed away from him and took his face in her hands, letting her fingers brush over his lips, then kissing it better. “Better?” She pulled back, watching as he licked his lips._

“ _Mmm…” He mumbled, shaking his head a little. “Not quite.” She rolled her eyes and kissed him again. “Mmm...” He smiled and pouted his lips in anticipation for more._

“ _Not until you’ve shared.” She pulled back, glancing at the marshmallows still stuck to the end of the stick._

“ _Mmm...” He grinned, blowing on the remaining marshmallows to cool them down. He pulled one of them off the stick and held it out to her. “Come and get it!” He smiled, tilting his head a little as she closed in and closed her mouth around his fingers, licking the sweetness away. His breath hitched in his throat as she continued sucking a little until she pulled back. “Want more?” He took the other one off and held it out to her. Again she took her sweet time to get the stickiness off his fingers, which he didn’t mind at all. After all, he knew the night was still very young._

~~~~~

“Colonel Sheppard?” He blinked, the memory fading into his subconscious, turning to find Radek standing next to him, holding one of their few unaffected computers.

“I’m sorry.” He quickly apologized as he turned his interest to the screen. “How are the repairs coming along? Need any more help?”

Radek shook his head. “We’re trying our best. And others are needed elsewhere.” He sighed. “I never knew I would ever say this...”

“You miss Rodney.” John stated softly, remembering how their friend had given his life to safe as many people as possible.

The scientist nodded, the pain of the loss visible in his eyes. He sighed before he continued. “We managed to isolate the virus and have started repairing some of the primary systems but...”

“The technology is still way beyond our understanding.” John finished for him.

Zelenka nodded. “Even with our acquired knowledge of the database and the city’s workings from before...” He left it hanging for a bit until he continued. “It will take a while.”

“Do what you can.” He said. “I’d like to return to the city as soon as possible.”

Radek nodded. “Yes, of course.” He turned and disappeared to sit alone with his computer in the vague light of a smaller fire near his tent.

John sighed and decided to join the group, settling down next to Teyla who offered him a plate with a little bit of food. “Thank you.” He said softly, looking around making sure everyone was there, safe and sound. He picked up the piece of bread, brought it up to his mouth when he realized he was missing someone. “Teyla...” The younger woman turned to him, the scar on the left side of her face visible in the light of the fire. “...Where’s Kate?”

Teyla’s eyes turned wide as she frantically looked around, not seeing the psychologist anywhere. “She was just... I swear, she was here.” She got to her feet, gathered her dagger and ran off, the limp barely visible.

“Teyla!” John scrambled to his feet, dropping the plate to the ground. He sprinted after the Athosian, whom was still running like the wind, even with the limp.

“Colonel!” He heard Carson call after him, but it didn’t stop him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

She stood as close to the cliff as she dared to go, gazing at the horizon where the sun had just disappeared in a glow of orange and dark yellow. Her gaze was set to unending, staring out at the horizon where the first few stars glowed faintly against the night sky. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about the stars or that the cool breeze was messing with her hair, blowing it in her face. All she cared about was the pain in her heart, the ache that wouldn’t go away. She felt guilty and she was scared beyond belief. She had never been this scared, not even when her brother had been in a car accident and almost died. She took another step forward, though still a good few inches away from the edge. The pain was driving her towards it. She tried to resist, tried to tell herself they would be fine. But they weren’t going to be fine ... ever. Not after what had happened.

~~~~~

“ _Elizabeth, I need you to breath.” She held her hand pressed down on the wound on the diplomat’s stomach. She could feel the warm blood seep through her fingers. She knew there wasn’t much she could do but she had to try. “Elizabeth!” She was panicking. There was a reason she had chosen psychology in medical school._

“ _Dr. Heightmeyer...” A marine passed by and pulled her up. “…You can’t stay here, Ma’am.”_

“ _No!” She pulled herself free from his grasp. “No, I can’t leave Dr. Weir. She needs a doctor. She needs Carson.” She pleaded._

“ _Ma’am, you can’t stay here. This section will be flooded in less than an hour.” He grabbed her arm again and pulled her along._

“ _No...” She struggled against his hold, watching as Elizabeth’s hand reached out to her. “No...” She yelled as she pushed the marine into the transporter, pulling free from him. “Not without Elizabeth.” She ran back, immediately putting her hand back on the wound. “I’m not leaving you, I promise.” She took the diplomat’s hand in her own, squeezing softly. “I promise.”_

~~~~~

She blinked a few times, but couldn’t prevent the tears from falling. Why had she survived while so many others hadn’t? Why had she been spared of drowning? Who had been looking out for her? All these questions and more drove her insane, at night and during the day. There was nothing else she could think about but that. Self-diagnosis was easy. She was suffering from post-traumatic stress and what one would call survivor’s guild. She was haunted in her sleep by the voices of those who had died in the city, haunted by Elizabeth’s face, haunted. She had come dangerously close to the edge now. She wanted it to end. If only he had been there for her, when she had needed him the most but he hadn’t… He was too busy, being the new leader.

She really liked him, didn’t even know she would ever fall for him. He wasn’t her type, if she had a type that was. When he had asked her out that first time, she had been surprised. Though she had enjoyed every minute of it. And every single date after that. He had another side to him, he would rarely show anyone but her. Most of the expedition members knew him as the military Colonel who would do anything for any one of them. She knew him as just John, guarded and composed, yet full of witty comments and boyish charm.

~~~~~

_She gazed at him, his chest rising and falling to his breathing, his shirt all wrinkled. She leaned closer, trying her very best not to disturb him, but she failed as she lost her balance and landed right on top of his chest._

“ _Ouch...” He coughed a little, looking at her as she tried to get the weight of her upper body off his chest. “...What are you doing?” He looked at her, tilting his head a little._

“ _I’m sorry...” She said as she pushed herself up on her hands. He followed her and met her halfway, capturing her lips in a kiss. She giggled as he pulled her back down._

~~~~~

John ran up the hill, his feet automatically carrying him towards what they had claimed as their own little private place to watch the sun setting and rising. He remembered all the times he had made love to her there, the times he had taken her out on a picnic, once even with champagne. He had lost sight of Teyla and hoped she wasn’t too far off. He wasn’t at all sure what to do once he found her. After all she wasn’t all that fond of him since the events in the city only a few weeks ago. She had been keeping her distance and would recoil from his touch when he came too close for her liking.

He halted as he noticed she was standing exactly where he hoped she would be, albeit closer to the edge than she would normally go. He carefully stepped up the rocky platform, watching as the wind played with her hair, blowing it in every direction. He briefly closed his eyes as he remembered the sweet scent of peach coming off it after a fresh shower. He had once accidently used her shampoo, which resulted in him running around smelling like peach for the better part of two days. He remembered her smile as she had reassured him no one would notice, unless he would specifically stick his hair underneath their noses. Though he could have sworn Rodney had come closer during their mission later that same day to smell his hair.

He shivered in the wind, knowing for a fact she was cold too, though it didn’t seem to bother her. He hesitated as he had no idea what he was going to say or do. He just stood there, watching. He noticed that she moved a little and his heart stopped as he realized what she was up to. His reflexes immediately kicked in and he sprinted forwards as fast as he could, grabbing her arm and roughly pulling her away from the edge.

“Ka-ate... Don’t...” His voice died down into a whisper as he gazed at the woman in his arms. There were dark circles around her eyes and she looked deathly pale. He barely recognized the Kate from before, full of life and occasional mischief. She was shaking like a leaf, staring back at him, her eyes wide. She was in shock, he could tell. He had seen it before.

~~~~~

“ _No! No!” John turned at once as he heard her screams. “No, we can’t leave her there. No, Teyla... Please...” He was just in time to see Teyla literally dragging Kate into the gate area._

“ _She is dead, Kate.” The Athosian gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face as she pulled the psychologist along. “She is gone.”_

“ _No...” Kate managed to struggle free and ran back from where they came but he stopped her. “John...” She looked up at him, pleading. “There are people out there.”_

_As she brought her hands up to his chest, he noticed they were covered in blood, which was also smeared across her shirt. He grabbed her hands and turned her palms upwards, checking for injuries. “Are you injured?”_

“ _It is Elizabeth’s.” Teyla said from where she had dropped to the ground, applying pressure on a bleeding wound on her leg._

“ _Colonel...” Rodney yelled from the control room. “If you want to save as many people as possible you have to leave now!”_

_John looked up as McKay was frantically running from one console to another, Zelenka desperately trying to keep up with him. “Okay people, let’s move out!” He yelled across the room. “To the jumper bay, now!”_

“ _John...” She stopped him. “There are people trapped. We can’t leave them here.” Kate desperately tried to convince him they had to try and help. He looked at Rodney up in the control area, who simply shook his head._

“ _There’s nothing we can do.” He said as he turned away from her and quickly walked over to Teyla to help her up, supporting her. “We need to abandon the city.”_

“ _But...” She looked at him, confused he didn’t want to help. He was the one who would walk through fire to keep his people safe. “John...”_

“ _They’re dead!!” John yelled at her, as he let go of Teyla who balanced her weight until she could grab onto someone else’s shoulder. “All those people out there are dead! We will all die if we don’t get the hell out of here ... RIGHT NOW!” She jumped at his anger and involuntarily stepped back, her eyes wide, filled with shock and fear._

~~~~~

John had never, ever, yelled at her before, never had he raised his voice. Never, until that moment.

“John!” He blinked, turning to find Teyla standing next to him, her hand on his arm. He realized he was still firmly holding Kate’s arms. “John?” The younger woman’s voice softened and he promptly let go.

“I’m sorry.” He hastily said as he fled the scene.

“John?” Teyla watched as he disappeared in between the trees. She sighed, briefly pinching the bridge of her nose before turning back to Kate, who had gone to rocking back and forth hugging herself for dear life. “Kate...” Teyla tried, carefully touching the other woman’s arm. “Are you okay?” There wasn’t a single reaction to her question. “Are you hungry?” Still no reaction but Teyla decided it would be for the best to just pull Kate along, back to the safety of the encampment.

“Teyla...” Carson met her halfway, quickly checking if the psychologist was physically fine. He refrained from touching her, knowing she’d pull away from him. She had been scarce on the human contact, locking herself up in her own little world, building a big wall around herself in self-preservation. It hurt to see a strong woman like her so fragile and broken. “What happened?”

Teyla dropped her gaze to the ground, biting her lower lip. “I think she was going to jump.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I promised John to look after her.”

“And you’re doing a fine job.” Carson dropped his hand on Teyla’s shoulder in support. “You’re not alone.”

“I know.” She looked up at him, smiling a little. “I know.”

“Has she eaten?” Carson started walking again, returning to the fire where he picked up a spare plate and filled it with a few pieces of meat and a small piece of bread. “Make sure she eats something and then leave her be.” Teyla nodded as she pulled Kate along to their tent, which they shared with Dr. Jennifer Keller, Dr. Katie Brown and a few other women.

As soon as she was sure Kate was in good hands, Teyla exited their tent, stretching a little. She glanced around, her wandering gaze stopping as she noticed the Colonel shuffle back into the confinements of the encampment. She walked up to him, stopping him from disappearing into his tent.

“What happened out there?” She held onto his arm, making sure he wasn’t going anywhere.

His eyes darkened, his mouth reverting to a thin line. “I think she wanted to kill herself.”

“She is scared, John.” Teyla’s voice softened. “We all are.”

“I know.” He nodded, briefly burying his head in his hands. When he looked up again, his gaze was set to determined, turning his full attention on Teyla. “What happened when you found Kate and Elizabeth?” He noticed a slight twitch in Teyla’s strong-willed façade. “You never told me what happened out there.” He watched as she turned away to gaze at some none existing point somewhere behind him. “Teyla?”

~~~~~

_She ran down the hallway, hearing the screams behind her. People were drowning behind her but there was nothing she could do. Most would be safe on the main land soon. The virus was not going to kill them all. They were going to be able to fight back and once again reclaim the city as theirs._

“ _Teyla!” She skidded to a halt as she heard someone call out to her. “Teyla!”_

“ _Kate?” She doubled back a little, finding Kate and Elizabeth in the middle of a hallway she knew would fill with water any minute now. “Kate!” She ran up to them, only then noticing Elizabeth was still alive, with Kate applying pressure to an abdominal wound. “We have to go.”_

“ _No, Elizabeth needs help.” Kate frantically looked between Teyla and Elizabeth, her eyes filled with tears, shaking._

_Teyla glanced down at Elizabeth’s still face. She was barely breathing, her skin pearly white. “This hallway will flood any minute now. We cannot stay here. We_ _**must** _ _leave! NOW!”_

“ _No, not without Elizabeth. She’s the leader of this expedition. She...” Teyla took aim and with one clear shot ended the diplomat’s life. Kate jumped back, staring wide eyed at the Athosian. She didn’t get time to think, however, as someone else came running down the hallway, screaming they had to run._

~~~~~

John’s mouth had dropped slightly as he forced Teyla to look up at him. “You shot Elizabeth?”

“Yes, I ended her life.” Teyla refrained from looking directly at him. “I did not wish for her to suffer even more. It is my fault Kate wants to die.”

“No...” John took hold of the Athosian’s shoulder, making sure he had her full attention. “I don’t know what I would have done in that same situation but what I do know is that I...” He paused, hesitated before he softly continued. “I love Kate.” He sighed heavily.

“I know.” Teyla said. “I did not want you to suffer like I have.”

John briefly frowned confused. “I thought you said Ronon was like a brother to you.”

“It is not Ronon whom I speak of.” Teyla turned and slowly returned to the tent.

John opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again since everything he’d say would most likely sound wrong anyway. “Good night.” He turned and settled near the campfire.


	3. Chapter 3

John woke to a rustling sound nearby and quickly glanced at his watch. It was still very early in the morning, the sun barely up. The rustling continued and he immediately reached out for his gun, which he kept in close proximity in case of an emergency. His hand came in touch with the wooden log he used as a nightstand, but there was no gun for him to grab. He turned sharply to find the space empty. His heart skipped a beat, searching his tent for the gun though he had been sure he had left it in its right spot. Half-dressed and barely awake at all he hurried out of his tent where he bumped into Teyla who was seemingly on her way in. They both stumbled back, barely able to remain upwards. Teyla winced as she landed wrong, shutting her eyes tight until the pain dissipated.

“Teyla...” He helped steady her, briefly wondering if she would faint or not.

“John…” She replied, holding onto him.

“What were you doing?” He looked at her, just like him only half-dressed but not as noticeable as with him.

“Kate is missing.” She said, her eyes betraying a deep fear. “I do not know where she is.”

The proverbial light bulb switched on and he immediately knew where he would find his gun. His heart skipped a few beats at that knowledge, fearing the woman would succeed after all in taking her own life. “She’s been in my tent.” He cursed himself for not noticing. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed someone rummaging around his tent, or she might have known where he kept his weapon. Teyla looked at him, confused. “She has my gun.”

“What?” Teyla’s voice sounded high-pitched as her jaw dropped in horror.

“We have to find her.” He disappeared in his tent, to reappear seconds later with a wraith stunner. “Wake as many people as...” A gun going off in the distance interrupted him and he momentarily paled. Teyla’s breath hitched in her throat as she gasped in shock. “Kate...” John set off in a run, past Teyla knowing she would follow him no matter what. “KATE!!!”

“John!” Teyla followed as fast as she could go, ignoring the pain in her leg, limping after the Colonel. “Colonel!” She lost track of him and started running crisscross through the thick undergrowth of the nearby forest. “John!” She turned around until she got dizzy. “Where are you?” She froze as another shot rang out. “Jo-ohn!” She started running again, following the sound of the gun. Her heart beating a million miles an hour. She was terrified beyond belief. As she ran she tried to focus on happier moments.

~~~~~

“ _Kate?” Teyla smiled surprised as she found the psychologist entering the gym. “What are you doing here?”_

“ _Hi.” She nervously rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. “I’m... err...”_

“ _Kate...” They both turned at the sound of John’s cheery voice. “You’re early.”_

“ _My appointments ended earlier than I thought.” She smiled._

“ _Great.” He smiled back. “Teyla, you don’t mind Kate joining in today, do you?”_

_Teyla shook her head. “Of course not.” She smiled at Kate, who nodded and stepped a little aside. She turned to John who pulled out his banto-sticks, ready to start their sparring match. She glanced back and forth between Kate and John until her mind was about ready to explode. It couldn’t be, could it? “Are you ready?”_

“ _Bring it on!” He grinned, briefly glancing at Kate again. “Watch and learn.”_

_Teyla beat him, making Kate wince every time he hit the floor. She kept observing the duo suspiciously until she could no longer control herself. She stopped in the middle of her onslaught and looked John right in the eyes. “Are you two involved?” John almost tripped over his own feet while Kate looked at the Athosian in shock. Teyla grinned. “I am happy for you, John. And you, Kate.” She dipped her head, a big grin sticking around her lips as the duo blushed a bright red._

~~~~~

“Teyla … stop!” She blinked out of her reverie as she skidded to a halt, finding Kate on her left and John on her right holding up his hands. She turned back to Kate who was holding John’s gun, pointing it at him. She looked miserable and scared. “Kate, drop the gun! Please...” John’s attention was on the woman, he didn’t even give Teyla a second glance. “You don’t want to do this.”

“I want it to end.” The gun wavered in mid-air as the hand which was holding it shook violently. “I need it to end.” She cried out to him.

“Please...” John pleaded. “Please Kate, drop the gun.” He was scared and for good reason when Kate turned the gun to aim it at herself. Her finger was curled around the trigger. It was an awkward sight since none had ever seen her handle a gun. As far as John knew she had always tried to stay away from the weapons as best as possible.

Teyla watched in silence, barely daring to breathe, unable to make her body move. She was shocked to see Kate turn the gun and aim at herself.

“Katherine, please...” John begged and pleaded for her to release the gun. “Drop the gun, please.”

Kate looked from the gun to John, shaking her head as tears made their way down her cheeks. “I-I don’t want to live like this. I need it to end. I-I want it to end. The voices...” She choked on her own words. “The faces ... the screams...” Then she seemed to notice Teyla was staring at her and she immediately turned, aiming the gun at Teyla instead. The other woman immediately took a few involuntarily steps back. “She _killed_ Elizabeth!” She yelled at John, as her finger squeezed the trigger even more. “I could have... We could have... You shot her. Why?”

Teyla blinked at the question, briefly turning to John who seemed equally as surprised. “I...” She shook her head a little. “I... do not know. I...”

“Because she didn’t want Elizabeth to suffer.” John stepped up next to Teyla. “She couldn’t rescue both of you so Teyla chose you over Elizabeth. You would have been dead if...”

“They’re all gone.” The gun lowered a little. “They all died. I couldn’t help them.”

“Help who?” John carefully started closing in on Kate.

“They were trapped, and I couldn’t help them.”

~~~~~

“ _Somebody ... HELP!!” Kate turned to the left as she found yet another door closed and unable to open. But this time there was someone on the other side._

“ _Hello!” She shouted against the door._

“ _Hello...” The reply sounded muffled through the door. “Who’s there?”_

“ _It’s me, Dr. Heightmeyer.” Kate immediately responded, already prying the control-panel open._

“ _Doc, get us out of here!” She finally started to recognize the different voices as those belonging to a few geologists and one member of the engineering group. “The door won’t respond, and neither does the panel.”_

“ _I’m trying...” She yelled back._

“ _Try overriding the commands by playing with the crystals.” The engineer, Dr. Marc Sanchez, instructed._

“ _It won’t...” Kate didn’t get the doors to open._

“ _Holy hell...” There were some screams on the other side of the door and a dulled boom._

“ _Dr. Sanchez...” Kate knocked on the door, hoping someone would respond. She looked down and found water seeping from underneath the door. “Oh god...” She took a few steps back, looking at the door fearing it wasn’t going to hold. She gasped as there was the first indication of a crack. She immediately turned around and started running as fast as her legs would carry her._

~~~~~

“They drowned. I couldn’t...” The gun fell from Kate’s hand which was John’s cue to run up to her and hold her as she cried. Teyla picked the gun up from the ground, and looked at it as if she had never seen one before in her life.

“It’s okay.” He soothed. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” He held her tightly, her tears soaking through his shirt. “I’ll make it better.” He whispered, his own eyes wet with unshed tears. “I’ll make it better, I promise.” He softly rubbed her back, whispering soothing words in her ear, tears finally making their way down his cheeks. After a while he gently lifted her up and carried her back to the encampment, Teyla following in silence.

“Colonel?” Carson met them halfway, doing his doctor duty as he gave Kate a quick look. “I wish there was something I could do.”

“There is.” John replied as he carried the psychologist to his tent. “Stay here with her and don’t let her out of your sight.”

“Where are you going?” Both Carson and Teyla glanced at him, curiously.

“To get back what is ours.” He turned, walking up to Major Lorne who was cleaning his weapons. “Evan...” The Major looked up surprised to hear John call him by his first name. “You up to claiming back what’s ours?”

Evan blinked confused. “Are you saying what I think you are saying, Sir?”

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s about time ... Sir.” Evan grinned as he took up his gear, standing at attention.

“Get together anyone who wants to go back to the city and meet me at the jumpers in 15 minutes.” Evan nodded and immediately set out to do his part of the planning, while John turned back to Teyla and Carson who were still staring at him. “It’s time we fight back. The Asurans may have taken Earth from us, killed our families and friends but we will not relinquish Atlantis. The city is ours and we’ll take it back.”

“Elizabeth would be proud.” Teyla whispered as tears made their way down her cheeks. “She knew you would keep us safe no matter what.”


End file.
